Yo. And aloha.
I live on Maui and I'm actually going to open a bookstore called Touch of Strange.
I got the name from a Theodore Sturgeon short story of the same name. He passed years ago, a prolific figure in scifi writing. I reached out to one of his still breathing children and asked her permission to use the name. She was enthusiastic about the idea and it was a YES.
If you haven't read the story, I'll try to dig it up for you. It's about cussing mermaids and how they are almost humanoid, but with a "touch of strange".
How did you come across your name?
I was trying to use it for my tumblr but it said it was taken, so reaching out out of curiosity.
Hi there!
Thank you for reaching out! You’re the first person to recognize the source of my username. :D Yep, it was Sturgeon’s story that inspired it. I was maybe 11-12 back in the late 1980s and got hold of a copy of the Hugo Award Winners 3rd Anthology. I read Slow Sculpture for the first time, and have been a devoted fan of his ever since.
Being that it was pre-internet days, getting hold of his work at the time was challenging, but I was lucky enough to find a copy of the ‘58 printing of the collection ‘A Touch of Strange’ at a tiny used book store in a very rural, midwestern town. Slow Sculpture remains my favorite story of his, but A Touch of Strange is certainly one of the top ten (along with The World Well Lost, Affair with a Green Monkey, The Girl Had Guts, and others).
I love the idea of a book store by that name! And it’s so wonderful that you’ve got the blessing of one of his children. That’s so exciting! I wish you the best of luck with it and I hope everything goes smoothly & successfully with getting it up and running! :)
I am sorry that the username isn’t available; I’ve toyed with the idea of changing it in the past but it’s also my username at quite a few other places as well and it has become rather personally synonymous with my online identity. I hope it offers some relief that it’s a fellow Sturgeon fan who’s using it though!
Thank you again for reaching out! Your message was truly delightful! Take care!










